Think it’s too early to start checking names off of your holiday list? Think again. There are less than 50 days until Santa comes sliding down the chimney. In our first installment of holiday gift ideas, we’ve gathered together the best of this season’s offerings from the biggest names in beauty for the die-hard beauty maven in your life. Whether they’re all about tips, lips or anything between, we’ve got something to impress even the most jaded beauty snobs. And unless their collection rivals Sephora stores or the Bergdorf beauty basement, chances are they won’t have any of these new holiday releases just yet.
Ciaté Mini Mani Month
They love: Nail polish
The perfect gift: Ciaté Mini Mani Month ($58)
Ciaté is becoming one of the nail industry’s biggest trend-setters. Caviar? They did it first. The next big thing? That would be the brand’s velvet flocked nails. But what your polish-obsessed bestie will love is this riff on an advent calendar. The brand’s colorful holiday set is a polish lover’s dream — each day leading up to Christmas reveals a new mini polish. Instead of a chocolate each day, they’ll receive a new Paint Pot, including a limited-edition glitter available only in this set. The 20 colors in the Mini Mani Month set include Ciaté bestsellers, four different caviar beads blends and festive glitters so that each day leading up to the big day can be marked by a trendy new manicure.
Available at Sephora.
Fresh Sugar Soiree Mini Lip Collection
They love: Lip color
The perfect gift: Fresh Sugar Soiree Mini Lip Collection ($65)
Fresh’s Sugar lip balms are already a favorite among those looking for subtle color and deep, intense hydration. It’s no surprise that it’s an editors’ favorite. Not only are the tubes easy to use, they contain SPF and gives your lips a healthy color-kissed shine that’s low maintenance. The brand has expanded from their colorless original to include of-the-moment colors such as plum, rosé, coral, berry and more and this mini set has them all. It’s the perfect gateway drug for your friends who aren’t in the know just yet or for the ones that are already loyal Sugar evangelists. As a bonus, they’ll also be getting the Sugar Advanced Therapy, a nighttime treatment that’ll soften lips after just one use.
Available at Sephora.
Sephora Favorites Lash Stash
They love: Lashing out
The perfect gift: Sephora Favorites Lash Stash ($45)
Let’s do the math: A high-end department store mascara can run you about $30 (or more, thank you Giorgio Armani and Cle de Peau). The Lash Stash has 11 options, running the gamut from department store — Clinique, Benefit and Lancôme — to more indie brands such as Beautenizer and Korres. Any way you add it up, it’s a great value. The best part about this huge set is that it gives your lash-loving friends a chance to try new formulas they might overlook while browsing Sephora and it encourages them to toss out old, crusty tubes. The set also contains a set of flirty falsies for extra-special nights where a faux fringe is necessary. We’ve given these sets as gifts before — It’s a yearly offering from Sephora –, and they’ve always been met with wide-eyed wonder.
Available at Sephora.
NARS Debbie Harry Eye And Cheek Palette
They love: Everything
The perfect gift: NARS Debbie Harry Eye and Cheek Palette ($65)
If you’ve got a friend who can’t decide which blush to wear with her smoky eye because she’s overwhelmed by her own makeup collection, this NARS palette is the one-stop makeup set she’ll reach for when she’s really rushed. The four eyeshadows can go from subtle to straight-up party — just look at that turquoise — and the blush and highlighter will go with the shadows no matter how you use them. A perfectly coordinated palette is hard to find, so this gem is a go-to you can be proud to gift. And every beauty fan will appreciate a NARS goodie, believe us. And the addition of Andy Warhol makes this palette that much sweeter. We know beauty junkies that live and die for limited edition collaborations, and the NARS and Andy Warhol collection had all of their hearts aflutter.
Available at Sephora.
Contrastes Essentials de Chanel
They love: Chanel anything
The perfect gift: Ombre Contraste in Notorious ($43)
The Contrastes Essentials de Chanel collection has one of the most enigmatic makeup products ever created by Peter Philips. Notorious, a taupey grey-purple blush, has already sparked a frenzy in the beauty world and has already sold out repeatedly at Chanel counters and the Las Vegas Chanel Beauté boutique. It’s meant to be a sculpting powder for eyes and face, but make sure you use a heavy hand, lest you look bruised. Its debut during the Chanel Fall 2012 show made beauty editors scratch their heads — was Philips creating something that only pros would be able to use? The answer is no, because makeup gurus are snatching up this one-of-a-kind powder to sculpt their cheekbones and they’re buying it in twos and threes. For the true beauty aficionado in your life, it’s a must-have. Get it now before it’s gone. When Christmas morning comes, the only thing better than getting this hard-to-find powder under the tree would be receiving one of Chanel’s quilted bags.
Available at Chanel.com, select Chanel counters and Chanel Beauté Studios.
Images courtesy Sephora and Chanel
